' .. No,, 2.;. 

" '1-5 3L # 

NORTHEASTE EARCH NOTES 

0 

IMENT STATION 

UPeER DARBY PA R. W.MARQUIS DIRECTOR 

SHALL-FORE'ST NANAGERENT 

IN TEE SPRUCE-FIR REGION 

Small forest properties occupy about 3.4 

million acres, or 25 percent of the total forest 

land, in the spruce-fir region of Maine and New 

Hampshire. Careful management of these small 

forest properties is important to the region and 

to the owners. 

In 1951 a small-forest management project 

was started on the Penob8:cot Experimental Forest 

near Bangor, Maine. The project began on a 47- 

6% moderately stocked tract considered typismall woodlands in this region (Compartment 11). In 1952 a 55-acre, well-stocked tract 

was added (~ompafiment VII) . Table 1 compares 

the stand per acre on these compartments at the 

beginning of management. 

The management program on both compartments 

is designed to build up the growing stock, improse stand condition, increase growth rate, and 

improve stand structure by making frequent light 

cuts. These cuts will remove the worst trees 

first, gradually taking pearly formed, defec- 
* 

!fable 1.--0riainal stand wr acre in sound trees 

5.6 inches d.b.h. ond larger a 

* 

tive, and low-value trees. Growth energy of the 

site will be channeled into trees of better 

form, vigor, and species. After the growing 

stock has been built up, the current annual 

growth may be harvested each year. 

The first cutting on Compartment I1 salvaged 47 cords of sound dead and dying fir and 

spruce trees. The second cutting salvaged 1 

cords--fir trees that died since the previo a 

cutting, and sound fir and aspen that were 

crowding more desirable pines and spruces. The 

first cutting covered 43 acres, and the second 

cutting 35 acres, of this &acre compartment. 

On Compartment VII, the first cutting removed 43 cords of sound dead, dying, and defective fir and spruce trees. It also included some 

sound fir trees removed to favor pines and 

spruces. . This cutting operation covered 29 out 

of the 55 acres. 

2 

Species 

Number Peeled Number Peeled 

- cords cords 

Balsam fir 51. 3-52 60 3-19 

Spruce 22 1.99 -- 47 4.20 

Hd~ck 0 47 3-92 

Pina 25 1.54 5 .88 

' Aspen 26 1.45 10 48 

Red maple 21 .94 23 1-33 

Paper bimh ll .54 6 -34 

Other (cedar, etc.9 18 .75 23 .86 

All species 174 10.73 221 15.20 

Compartment VII 

Stcras Volusae 

Caparhent 11 

Stems Volrnns 
On both compartments, the work was done by 

a a 2- to 3-man crew, using a l-man chain saw and 

a horse. The felled and limbed trees were skidded to a yard and bucked with a chain saw, and 

the bolts were stacked at roadside. 

Weather conditions were favorable during 

the operations except that deep snow prevented 

the winter road from freezing in Compartment 11. 

Table 2.--Outlass and retunu, from three im~~~~wnt cuttires 

horse-hours . . 154.0 28.0 156.0 

Becei&s: * Volm sold .............. cords.. 46.94 13.10 43-42 

Average rnsdd.de price 

per cord .............. dollars.. $ 13.29 8 14-64 # 12.82 

c-tVII 

1952 

Item 

Total value of sale.. ... .dollam.. 8623.74 a91-81 $5 56.82 

*'he 1952 cut from Cazpartment 11 waa 3.13 cod of rough sprucefir and 9.97 

cords of peeled aspen pulpmod. Other cuts were all rough spruee and fir pulprood. 

Outlam : 

Felling & UmMng .... .~aa~l-ho~rs.. 199.5 91.0 195.5 

Parding ...............ran- hours.. 335.0 73.0 1%. 0 

horse-hours.. 154.0 28.0 156.0 

Bwlcing & pillng ......am-h ours.. 85.0 15.0 1%. 5 

Total outlay ........man- hours.. 64l.O 179.0 5W.O 

CoBprb!mtII 

1951 1952 

Because of this, 28 cords had to be sled-yarded 

to the truck road. Nineteen cords were trucked 

directly from the bucking yards. 

Table 2 shows the direct outlays and returns from each operation, assuming that the 
mod was sold at roadside. (Actually the ricked 

wood was loaded and trucked l& miles to mill.) a 

Assuming the fore~t owners used their own 

labor, horses, and chain saws, their only added 

cash outlays would be for gasoline and repairs. 

In such cases the ownerst added incomes-would be 

nearly total roadside value--$624 plus $192 in 

one case, $557 in the other. 

SONE RECENT PUBLICATIONS 

Fenton, RichardH. Profitfrmthinnings. Amer. 

Forests 59 (2): 23, 51, illus. 1953. 

~ough, A. F. Prel irninary recommendations for the 

management of black cherry on the northern A1 legheny 

Platem. Jour. Forestrys: 184-188, illus. 1953. 

- 

McQlire, John R. 'What will the $ulp mills buy? 

Northeast. Wood Util. Council Bul. 40: 17-22. 1953. 

Simmons, Fred C. Hazards and safeguards in skidding 

atld hauling. Northeast. Logger 1 (11) : 7, 32-34. 1953. 

Westveld, b rinus. Ecology and si lvicul ture of the 

~pr~ct?-firfor@sts of easternNorth America. Jour. Forestry 51: 422-430. 1953. 

Wright, Jonathan W. Pollen dispersion studies: some 

Practical a$$l~~at~ons. Jour Forestry 51: 114-118. 1953. 

4 AGRICULTURE - FOREST SERVICE - UPPER DARBY